


The Circumference Of Darkness

by dani_the_girl



Category: Stargate SG-1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-03-11
Updated: 2009-03-11
Packaged: 2017-10-08 14:21:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/76510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dani_the_girl/pseuds/dani_the_girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cam apologises to Daniel, post Khalek.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Circumference Of Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> Experimenting with trying to write in a less dialogue heavy style. Short (~1000 words). The title is from Einstein: _As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it._

"I'm sorry."

Cam figures it's about as good an opening gambit as any. Jackson's deep in something or other on his computer screen, the glow reflecting back onto his face illuminating the fact that the rest of the office is mostly shadows. Cam wonders why the man doesn't just buy a decent desk lamp. Or, alternatively, why the hell he wants to sit here in the semi darkness.

The silence stretches so much that Cam's in two minds as to whether Jackson heard him. Maybe he's deep in academic's trance, too wrapped up in whatever analysis to pay any attention. Cam's on the point of saying something dismissive and heading out, no point in pissing Jackson off more than necessary by disturbing his train of thought, when Jackson hits a couple of keys, presumably saving whatever he's working on, and turns to face Cam.

"Yeah, you might want to make it a rule not to press any buttons," he says. The tone is carefully gauged. It's light enough to show that he doesn't want to make it a big thing, doesn't want to get into a fight, but there's still enough weight there to show that he really means what he's saying. Now that the screen is dormant, his face is mostly in shadow, the desk light behind him as he turns to face Cam in the doorway. There's no reading his expression, not that light would be much help there Cam thinks ruefully.

There's a hundred cute responses Cam could make to that, many of which spring readily to mind, but that wasn't the point of coming over here he reminds himself. He may be nominally in charge of this team but in practice Jackson was right, he's the new guy. "I'll take that under advisement," he says. "Want a coffee."

Jackson studies him for another moment, and damn but Cam would give a lot to know what the outcome of that assessment is but Jackson never gives anything away. He stands up, though, and says "Sure. I was about finished here anyway."

There are a few people in the mess when they hit the machine, teams on their way to debrief, couple of researchers taking a time out, shift change detritus from the med wing. Any queue magically melts away as they approach though, and the unspoken social brownian motion clears away a corner of the room just for the two of them. Well clear of the door, backs to the wall, easy observation for anyone coming up towards them. Daniel laughs softly as they sit. "You'd think that the whole ascended descended thing would hit the limit for people being weirded out by me, but I guess not."

"They're not used to Daniel Jackson the shoot first variety, I guess," Cam returns. It's not exactly what he was expecting from the mission reports either, but he's now starting to realise what works of art those mission reports really were. They all tally, they're all clear, they give the relevant facts and tactical disclosures. They tell maybe forty percent of what went on. Maybe Jackson was always that ruthless and it just got filtered out.

Jackson looks at him sideways and then focuses on his coffee, closing his eyes to savour the aroma for a moment before lifting up the cup for a drink. Somehow, shutting off those piercing baby blues makes him look much more tired, much more normal. It's like all his energy lies in his eyes the way Sam's does in her hands; take that away and he's a little closer to being just a guy.

"Do you know why I descended," Jackson asks after a moment.

As a non-sequitur, it has to be a pretty big one. On the other hand, Jackson doesn't talk about the whole ascension thing. He does not. So there's gotta be a way to track this back because there's no way it's idle conversation. Cam stares into his coffee mug and tries to figure it out, where the links are. What Jackson might be trying to tell him. Nothing occurs, but the question clearly wasn't rhetorical. Jackson is waiting for an answer, so he'll have to do his best.

"Well it kind of looks like a club they'll let anyone join. You didn't fancy hanging with folk like Anubis and anyone he might help along the path?" he tries. Jackson's eyes crinkle at the corners as he smiles. So wrong answer, but not too badly. Not badly enough that Jackson thinks he's unteachable.

"Knowledge is worthless if you can't or won't act on it. As soon as we knew who Khalek was, where he came from, we had all the knowledge we needed. We didn't act on it and, well, you were there, you saw the consequences."

Cam turns it over in his mind. Jackson's always seemed to be the total egghead, someone who valued knowledge for it's own sake. On the other hand, none of his knowledge has ultimately remained purely academic. It's all for something, even if it's something Jackson sure as hell couldn't have anticipated at the time he was going through college. For the first time, it occurs to him to wonder why Jackson chose to study Egyptology in the first place.

"I'll bear that in mind," he says. It feels inadequate after what Jackson's just told him, but then he gets the feeling anything he could say would be. He was the one who wanted the band back together, he reminds himself sternly. Until he's saved the world a time or two he's going to be playing catchup, he's just gotta do it gracefully.

Daniel drains the rest of his coffee and stands up. "Do that. Just remember to wait for the translation before you press the button next time." The tone is relaxed and Cam thinks he's been forgiven. He wonders how many times he can make a rookie mistake like that before it stops being so easy.


End file.
